List of vaccine topics

List of Vaccine Topics is a comprehensive collection of subjects related to the field of vaccinology, the science of vaccines. This list includes various types of vaccines, their development, administration, and the diseases they prevent.

Types of Vaccines

There are several types of vaccines, each designed to teach the immune system how to fight off certain kinds of germs — and the serious diseases they cause.

• Live-attenuated vaccines fight viruses and bacteria. These vaccines contain a version of the living virus or bacteria that has been weakened so that it does not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems.
• Inactivated vaccines also fight viruses and bacteria. These vaccines are made from the virus or bacteria that has been killed or parts of the virus or bacteria.
• Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines use specific pieces of the virus or bacteria — like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the virus).
• Toxoid vaccines prevent diseases caused by bacteria that produce toxins (poisons) in the body. In the process of making these vaccines, the toxins are weakened so they cannot cause illness.

Vaccine Development

Vaccine development is a long, complex process, often lasting 10-15 years and involving a combination of public and private involvement. The current system for developing, testing, and regulating vaccines evolved during the 20th century.

Vaccine Administration

Vaccine administration is the act of giving a vaccine to a person. Vaccines are usually administered through needle injections, but can also be administered by mouth or sprayed into the nose.

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Vaccine-preventable diseases include measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox), hepatitis, rotavirus, and more. Vaccines have drastically reduced the incidence of these diseases.

See Also

• Immunization
• Vaccine schedule
• Vaccine controversy
• Vaccine injury
• Vaccine court